Category: People

Chef Krista Kern Desjarlais was profiled in the latest issue of Plate magazine.

You have such an eclectic selection of baked goods. Roman-style pizza, Montreal bagels, French pastries like kouign-amann and mille-feuille. How did you curate your selection?
My choices were based on years of baking on my own and enjoying traditional Baking in French and Italian styles. I staged at Le Circque under Jacques Torres, which was amazing. I spent time in Rome; my grandfather lived there for 30 years and passed away there. I was hired to be the pastry chef for Guy Savoy in Las Vegas and went to Paris to transcribe the pastry program for them. I met other pastry chefs like Pierre Herme and worked in their pastry kitchens, so I got to see how all of their stuff was made.

The Press Herald has published a feature story on Scale’s chef Fred Eliot and his passion for developing skills to execute the classic French dish paté en croute.

Learning how to make paté en croute has been on Eliot’s bucket list for years, but it was only when he came to Scales that he had an oven that could do it justice, one that was able to bake at very precise temperatures. Now he makes one every other week, displaying the increasingly stunning results on Facebook and Instagram. It often sells out in one night.

The Portland Phoenix has published an article about Mike Fraser.

His first position in Portland was at Cinque Terre on Wharf Street. There, he met Guy Streitburger, the current General Manager of The Roma Cafe, and Jason Loring, another Portland restaurateur. The three have remained close friends. Mike served and bartended at Fore Street for nine years. Four or five years into his Fore Street tenure, Mike decided it might soon be time to open his own place. His first foray into ownership was Bramhall, a successful bar and lounge on Congress Street. When Mike and Jason first looked at the Roma, they were considering the space for a private club. They spoke to the Quimbys who owned the space; at that time, they envisioned it for some other use. In the meantime, Mike helped finance the Rhum Tiki Bar and Big J’s Fried Chicken at Thompson’s Point — ventures which proved to be immensely popular.

Allan Kellis, co-owner of The Holy Donut, passed away earlier this week at the age of 68, reports the Press Herald.

Soon after Leigh Kellis started making doughnuts in her kitchen in 2011, her father, Allan Kellis, jumped in to help.

He would show up at 6 every morning to make deliveries to coffee shops and retailers like Coffee by Design and Whole Foods. For the next five months, he delivered doughnuts and worked tirelessly to help his daughter grow the wholesale business and secure a retail space.

The Maine Sunday Telegram has published an article about David Buchanan and Portersfield Cider.

The Portland Phoenix has published an article about Blue Spoon chef/owner David Iovino.

Hunt & Alpine Bar Manager Trey Hughes will be attending the Bar-5 certification program. This is a high level training program for people in the bar tending profession taught by Dale DeGroff, David Wondrich and others.

Lolita Chef de cuisine Kimmo Meronen is returning to Texas for a reunion dinner with other former coworkers at *17 Restaurant in Houston. The dinner is a benefit “providing emergency assistance funds to those in Houston’s hospitality community affected by the storm”.

Tickets for the event and donations can be made at at agricolehospitality.com.